We were set up in portable bleachers on the visitors' side of the field around the 20-yard line. A number of band parents made the trip to help us cheer the team on. We did a number of our fun stands activities, like our multiple variations on the wave. The Nazareth students did everyone of our variations back at us, including the slow motion version! They were a great, spirited group of students (although I could have done without the kids in full hunter's garb, brandishing a stuffed deer...). Every time the Warriors had the ball, we played for them, and the Naz band did the same. It turns out that we have the same taste in music: classic rock. They played "Iron Man," "Don't Stop Believing," and "Crazy Train" to go with our renditions of "Smoke on the Water," "Smells Like Teen Spirit," and "I Got You." They also had some more recent numbers, like "Bad Romance," while we countered with "Dynamite."
One of the more amusing moments came when they announced that rock star Jim Peterik was at the game (his wife is an alumna of the school, and he's made this an annual tradition). If you don't know, Peterik wrote two of our band's all-time favorites, "Vehicle" when he was with the Ides of March, and "Eye of the Tiger" when he was with Survivor, so he's pretty famous. Anyway, he came out with his guitar, ready to play "Eye of the Tiger" with the Naz band, but his amp didn't work. So, he sang along with them, but the band was playing in a totally different key than the original recording, and it wasn't really in his range. We were treated to a half-sung, half-shouted version in which he got the crowd to shout "Blue, blue-blue-blue!" along with the opening punches. When they finished and left the field, we answered back with our rock-solid version of "Vehicle." I hope that Mr. Peterik heard us and smiled.
Another great moment was when an older couple came up to me on the sideline. The husband, wearing a Nazareth sweatshirt, told me his son was my drum major many years ago. I immediately recognized Mr. and Mrs. Berry, parents of Jim Berry, who was my very first drum major during the 1988 season at DHS. He led a band of 35 students on the field, back when we debuted such favorites as "Peter Gunn" and "Day Tripper." It was great to see them and remember the old days when I was a fresh-faced young band director just three years out of Northwestern. Now, many years wiser and grayer, I still love hanging out with the Warrior Marching Band, especially on a picture-perfect day like we had this past weekend!
You can see more pictures here, courtesy of Caryn Zull.
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